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The first thing you will want to do when you plan your vacation to Orlando is to book your place to stay. Here in Orlando you have many options…you can stay in a hotel, vacation home, or a townhome/condo. Below we have broken each one of these sections and we have listed articles which will assist you in deciding on what type of accommodations will fit you and your party needs the best.

Hotels

So you have decided that a hotel fits your family best. Here are a few tips to make sure you stay in the right hotel.

1. Location- The first thing you will want to do is decide on what area of Orlando you would like to stay. Here at Orlandovacation.com we recommend staying near Disney World, all of the theme parks are located within 10 minutes of each other and many of the Disney World hotels offer free shuttle to Universal Studios. Since there are so many hotels built around Disney World the competition brings the nightly rates down quite a bit. Here is a great article which outlines the three most popular hotel areas in Orlando.

1. On Property or Off Property- There are 30,000 hotel rooms which are located on Disney World property, and as with anything there are benefits of staying on property and benefits of staying off property. The two articles which are linked above go in to great detail about the pros and cons of both. Please note, if you are looking to save money then you will want to stay at a hotel which is located off property.

2. Family Habits- Decide on what is important to you and your family, and this will help you decide on which hotel is best for you. If you have small children which you think need to come back to the hotel room for a nap everyday then you will want to probably stay at a hotel on Disney World property, which runs free shuttle service to and from the parks every 30 minutes. If you have older children and you are going to be at the parks from sun up to sun down, then a more economical hotel off property might work well for you.

1. Write down amenities which are important to you- The best thing to do is write down the perfect hotel amenities for your family and this will help you decide on the perfect hotel.

3. Rates- When you first start your search for a hotel you will probably notice the low nightly rates as compared to other cities. Don’t let these rates fool you, Orlando is the largest family destination place in the World, and we have literally hundreds of hotels located throughout the city. Since we have some many hotel rooms to offer, the nightly rates are usually much lower.

4. Book Early- If you are looking to save money plan your vacation and book early. As the hotels start to fill up the nightly rates go up as well.

5. Resort Fees- Almost every hotel in Orlando charges a resort fee so when you are making a reservation please take notice of these fees. Some of the hotels charge a low nightly rate and then raise their resort fees to be as much as $12 to $15 a night…Ouch!

Vacation Homes

Vacation homes in Orlando are extremely popular and a great place for families to save money. Here are a few tips and articles to make sure you pick the right vacation home. Here is an article talking about the 10 benefits of staying in a vacation home.

1. Location- All of the vacation homes we represent is located within 15 minutes to Disney World. Some of our homes are located in Davenport and some of our homes are located in Kissimmee. In order to assist you here are two articles which should help you decided which area is best for your family:  Kissimmee Article and Davenport Article.

2. Amenities- All of the homes we represent have fully functional kitchens, full baths, all the towels, linens, pots, pans, plates and silverware, plus the homes also have full size washer and dryers, and multiple TVs. Here is a great article on what to expect when staying in our vacation homes. Please note, almost everything is provide but we only give you starters sets of toilet paper, paper towels, dish washing detergent, etc. If you are staying for an extended period of time you will probably need to purchase more of these items.

3. Pools- All of the homes have swimming pools. The larger the home, the larger the pool. Some families decide to upgrade even if they only need a 3 bedroom home opt for a 5 bedroom home to get the larger pool. One thing that you will want to know if you are visiting during the winter months is the pool heat…there is a charge to have the pools heated in the winter months. Here is a great video about the pools.

4. Picking Your House- You have pretty much three options when choosing a vacation home through Orlandovacation.com:

1. Standard Home- Our least expensive options is the standard homes. These homes are located in the same neighborhood as the executive homes, and they have the same amenities and feel of the executive homes. The only difference is the interior is not decorated as nice as an executive home. The pools in the standard homes are a great option if you are looking to save money or if you feel most of your time in Orlando is going to be spent at the theme parks.
2. Executive Homes- All of our executive homes have been professionally decorated by a local interior decorator and they have a WOW! Factor when you walk into them as compared to the standard homes.  Since these homes are more lavish in décor the nightly rates is usually $10 to $20 more per night.
3. Specific Vacation Home- This is new for 2013, we are now giving our clients the option to view pictures of the vacation homes we represent and choose a specific home they would like to stay in. In order to do this the rates had to be raised about $10 to $15 more per night as compared to the executive level homes, but this option does give you the most peace of mind as now you know the exact house you will be staying in.

Condos and Townhomes

One of the most popular accommodations we represent are the condos and townhomes. These products are perfect for a family that still wants all the amenities of 4 or 5 star hotels while having the extra space of a vacation home.

1. Pools- All of the condos and townhomes we represent has large community pools and some even have private pools connected to the units. This is great in the winter months, this way you will not have to pay for pool heat.

Our most popular condos are the Mystic Dunes Resort and our most popular townhomes are the Windsor Palms and Terra Verde Resorts.